Best Plant to Choose If You're a Cancer

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If your Zodiac sign is Cancer (born between June 21 and July 22), we've found the perfect plant for you. Cancer's symbol is the Crab, and these intuitive homebodies are known for their love of home and hearth, their loyalty, and their innate desire and ability to heal others. Given that, there is no better houseplant match for Cancer than the Aloe Vera (Aloe spp.). This perky, freckled succulent is so easy to care for that it's called unkillable, even when paired with neglectful human companions. Its finger-like, puffy leaves are bordered with teeth, but, inside, they have a cool gel that can help heal a wound and take the sting out of sunburns. This attractive plant is a welcome addition to any home, it is pleasing to look at, and oh so useful when problems strike, just like the typical Cancer.

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About Aloe Vera

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Image Credit: Ana Stanciu for Hunker

More friendly than exotic, the Aloe Vera plant has its own charm, just like lovable Cancer. Aloe's long, puffy leaves grow — without a visible trunk — in an upright rosette, a familiar and pleasing sight in a sunny kitchen window. The Aloe Vera is an easy-going, handsome succulent that makes for a great indoor companion, a perfect match for home-loving, ever-helpful Cancer.

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A person born in the sign of Cancer can sometimes be prickly and standoffish at first meeting like the sign's symbol, the Crab, and strangers might expect to be pinched if they get too close. But once proper introductions are made, Cancer is the most loyal and helpful Zodiac sign: kind, generous, and ready to assist and nurture. Just so with the Aloe plant. Each Aloe leaf margin is lined by tiny teeth to keep predators at bay, but these are of little consequence once you understand that Aloe's real nature lies inside. The cool gel packed into its leaves has been used for centuries to treat burns, cuts, and insect stings due to its potent anti-inflammatory properties. The juice and flesh of the leaves work as a topical anesthetic and cooling gel.

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How to Care for Aloe Vera

Like Cancer, an Aloe Vera plant needs little other than a happy home to lead a charmed life. For the Aloe plant, a happy home means a pot with excellent drainage (think ample drainage holes and cactus/succulent potting soil) and a window site with bright indirect light. Aloe Vera does best in temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures of most homes, and requires minimal care. Irrigation shouldn't happen very often — wait until the soil is very dry — and no other nurturing is required. How dry is dry for Aloe soil? The top third of the soil should feel completely dry — for example, the top two inches in a pot with six inches of soil.

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Aloe's carefree nature works well for a Cancer, leaving them plenty of time to relax with their partner or entertain friends. Since Cancer has an independent, resilient streak as well, requiring considerable alone time to do their own thing, they will appreciate Aloe's self-sufficiency. The word on the street is that the only thing that can kill an Aloe is over-watering, so water-sign Cancer should avoid that at all costs.

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Shopping for Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera plants won't be hard to find. They are extremely popular outdoor succulents for warm climates and also frequent houseplants. Try your local stores first and pick out a healthy plant. Cancer individuals have great instincts and should follow them in most situations, including which Aloe plant to bring home.

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However, online offers plenty of Aloe choices, and since this means Cancer can stay at their beloved home to shop, it may be their preferred choice. We love the Aloe plant from Bloomscape for $35 that arrives in a gorgeous display-ready container (five colors to choose from). Or, check out the wide range of Aloe plants offered online by Walmart, such as this 4-inch Aloe plant for $32.89. Etsy has a large enough Aloe selection to keep you on the site for hours. We particularly like the $8.99 selection from Celtic Frost Herb Farm and are impressed by their over-1,800 five-star reviews. If bigger is better, check out the 8-inch pot of Aloe sold on Amazon from American Plant Exchange.

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